


Stomach flus and spiders don't mix

by orphan_account



Series: Peter and the Tower [30]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome Michelle Jones, Bathing/Washing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, F/M, Fever, Fluff, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Michelle Jones, Protective Tony Stark, Sick Character, Sick Peter Parker, Sickfic, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Kisses, Sleepy Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23867053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Peter gets the stomach flu. MJ and Tony take care of him.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Peter and the Tower [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1220861
Comments: 31
Kudos: 316





	Stomach flus and spiders don't mix

**Author's Note:**

> Hi lovelies! Update time! Managed to sit down for a solid 6 hours and crank this out, yay! OH ALSO I KEEP FORGETTING TO SAY THIS: I changed up the order of the series to make more sense chronologically. Also, 30th work in the series, yay! Enjoy!
> 
> TW: Vomiting, Sick Characters, Minors in a relationship bathing together (NOT SEXUAL)

It was just past midnight, the usual time when everything went to shit. An unpleasant cramping in Peter's stomach woke the boy up. It wasn’t that bad, so Peter tried to ignore it and go back to sleep. However as time went on, the more intense the pain got. It alternated between cramping and a sharp stabbing feeling, both of which were awful. He bit his lip, holding his stomach tight and praying it would end soon.

Next of the symptoms to arrive was the shivering and clamminess. He couldn’t pinpoint when it started, but every couple seconds a chill would run through his body. He felt too hot yet too cold at the same time. The hot flashes were overwhelming. If he tried to pull off the covers, he would wake MJ, who was sound asleep right next to him, so he resigned himself to the discomfort. Then his stomach started turning. He held back the bile. Exhaustion settled in his bones, he really didn't want to throw up.

All the pains and aches added up until Peter couldn’t help by curl in on himself, sobbing quietly.

A light hand touched his arm, a groggy voice followed. “Babe?”

He couldn’t even respond. His body couldn’t decide what hurt the most, his stomach, the uncomfortable heat radiating from him, or his attempt to keep the throw up down. MJ leaned over him and frowned when she saw his eyes squeezed shut, tears escaping them.

“What’s wrong, my love?” She murmured as she fully sat up now, much more awake at the sight of her boyfriend’s pain.

“Hurts,” he whimpered as another wave of stomach pain passed over him. She helped him into a seated position, him leaning heavily into her.

“What hurts?”

He gagged, yet fought to keep it down. MJ seemed to get the message from that.

“Let’s get you to the bathroom, hm?” She murmured as she stood from the bed and walked over to his side. “FRIDAY, alert Stark. Tell him I have it handled.”

Peter nodded slightly, as he too got up. He trudged over before falling to the floor in front of the toilet. MJ settled next to him, running her hand over his back slowly. Peter suddenly lurched over to throw up, gripping the toilet hard between his hands. MJ followed him up, holding his curly bangs away from his face, and keeping a supportive hand on his back.

His stomach tightened again and another wave of cramps shot through him, making him hiccup and cry at the pain.

“Oh, baby,” MJ said empathetically. 

Peter slouched down, not even resting his head on the cool toilet seat for a second before his stomach twisted once more and he was forced over to gag and vomit everything out. MJ whispered small comforts to him, trying to help where she could. 

After another two rounds of painful throwing up, MJ had to move to herself to support Peter from falling over. The poor boy felt weak, trembling as he clutched the toilet. She wrapped a careful arm around his middle, the other running through his sweaty curls.

“Peter, you have a fever,” She murmured at some point to the boy, pressing the back of her hand to his clammy forehead. He didn’t really respond, only sighed and leaned into her refreshing touch. They stayed in the crouched position for another 20 minutes or so, Peter not really throwing up, just wincing in pain and leaning his head tiredly on the bowl.

“You ready to go back to bed?” MJ asked. Peter slowly nodded and tried to get to his feet. That plan quickly failed as Peter wasn’t quite strong enough to stand on his own.

“Woah! Careful, Parker,” MJ said as she looped an arm around his waist and helped him walk to bed. He groaned slightly when MJ gently set him down on the side of the bed.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” She said as she handed him a bucket. “Here, in case of emergencies.”

He nodded miserably and settled sitting against the headboard. She came back a few minutes later, carrying a glass of water. 

“Here,” She said. She pushed the glass into his hand. “Small sips.”

He nodded and followed her directions, slowly raising the glass to his lips. She pressed a long kiss to the side of his head before crawling in bed next to him. 

“Do you wanna try going back to sleep?” She asked him, bringing his hand to rest on his lower back. The boy nodded slowly, grimacing as his stomach pain increased yet again. 

“Alright, let’s take off your shirt,” MJ said. It was soaked with sweat and was probably super uncomfortable to wear. Peter had the _audacity_ to shoot her a smirk.

“Trying to get me naked, Jones?”

She rolled her eyes yet couldn’t ignore the slight relief that fluttered in her chest. “In your dreams, Parker.”

She quickly pulled the shirt off him and threw it in the direction of the laundry basket. Peter set the now empty glass on his nightstand and, with MJ’s help, slowly made his way to a laid down position.

She cuddled up to his back, resting his head on her elbow so she could still see his face. His form tightened for a moment and he let out a strangled weep. A frown lit her face at her boyfriend’s obvious pain. Clearly his stomach was hurting. An idea hit her.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” She whispered to him as she leaped out of the bed. She returned with a heated water bottle in her hand, not the best idea for the fever but at least it would help with the stomach pain. She winded herself against him yet again and gently pressed the bottle to his stomach. He groaned at the heat.

“It should help the pain,” She explained. He nodded, barely visible and instead focused on deep breaths. It looked to her like he was trying not to throw up again.

“Hey, the bucket’s right next to your side if you needed it,” She said gently. 

“... I‘m okay.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Even when he was barely coherent he still wouldn’t admit the true extent to his injuries and pain. No preservation. MJ prayed the boy would fall asleep soon, yet it didn’t seem like that would happen. The boy shifted uncomfortably, too hot, but when he took off the blankets, too cold. He whined and looked at MJ sadly, little tears in the corner of his eyes.

“Try just sticking your legs out, doofus.”

He did so, and seemed to be happier with this solution. She smiled at her dumb idiot, looking over his shoulder to check the time. Around 2 in the morning. Nice. She flopped back down next to him. His stomach didn’t seem to be bothering him right now so she took off the water bottle, which had lost its heat anyway. She replaced it with her hand. Small circles tracing his skin. With her thumb, index finger, all fingers. Peter seemed to like it cause he pressed himself closer to her stomach, settling now in an actual attempt to get comfortable to sleep.

She smiled happily to herself and pressed a kiss to his neck. Hopefully the duo could catch a few hours of sleep.

* * *

She hadn’t literally meant a few. Was hoping more like 6 or 8 or 14. Yet 3 hours later, she woke up to moans of pain. She opened her eyes blearily, Peter was leaned over the side of the bed, presumably throwing up into the bin. 

The girl shot up to grab Peter from falling over. “Jesus, Peter!”

He gagged, yet nothing came out so he wiped his mouth. Guess the stomach pain was back, and the shivers seemed to have stuck around as well.

“FRIDAY? What’s his body temp?” MJ asked the ceiling as she quickly got out of bed and ran to Peter’s side.

“Peter’s temperature is currently 100.7 degrees Fahrenheit, Ms. Jones,” The AI responded. MJ cursed lightly. Because of the spider DNA, Peter’s normal temperature was lower than a regular human’s, so almost 101 was definitely not good. Also, Peter couldn’t thermoregulate, so the higher it went up, the harder it would be to bring it back down.

“M,” Peter sobbed loudly. She wasted no time in helping him back to the bathroom. 

“FRIDAY, call Stark. Tell him I need him here,” MJ called as her boyfriend threw up yet again in the toilet.

“Right away, Ms. Jones.”

Tony appeared in the bathroom, clad only in sweatpants and a loose shirt. When he saw the scene in front of him, he quickly moved to help. He dropped to his knees next to Peter and held the boy up.

“MJ, please get me two wet washcloths and a glass of water,” Tony instructed over Peter’s loud hurling. The girl ran off to comply with his request.

“Bambino?” Tony asked gently, the boy in his arms gasping for breath.

“Dad, it hurts,” Peter said with a whimper, face crumpling. Another wave of pain hit. MJ appeared, and Tony shot her a grateful nod as she handed him the items. He pressed one of the cool washcloths to Peter’s forehead and draped the other on the back of his neck.

“I know, bud. I know,” Tony said sadly as he rubbed the boy’s back. MJ watched from a little bit behind them, unsure of how to help. Thankfully, the vomiting fit didn’t seem to last as long this time. Peter leaned tiredly on Tony, eyes shut as he shivered and panted.

“I’m sorry, Tony, I tried-”

“Hey,” Tony cut off MJ’s apology. “You did great, kid.”

She nodded tightly, but he could tell she didn’t really believe him. They would talk about that later. Tony picked up the glass and held it to Peter’s lips. “Drink, bud.”

Peter shook his head slightly. “Don’t wanna throw up again.”

Tony sighed. “I know, bambino, but we gotta get some fluids in you, okay?”

Peter frowned yet took a small sip of the drink. Tony turned back to MJ.

“MJ, can you run a lukewarm bath for him, please?” 

“Yea, of course. I’ll tell FRIDAY when it’s done.” She left the room and went to the restroom in her own room, which had a huge bath. Tony smiled despite the situation. MJ really had handled it well for as long as she could. Tony was proud of her and her growth from a closed off person who didn’t ever show any care for others to what she was now.

“Can you try to finish the water, cucciolo?” Tony asked the boy quietly. Peter nodded and took another small sip. And another, and another until it was finally all gone. Tony pressed a chaste kiss to Peter’s temple as a “good job.”

“Boss, Ms. Jones has alerted me that the bath is ready,” FRIDAY announced in the bathroom. 

“Alright, Petey, time to get up,” Tony said as he stood with the boy in his arms. Peter groaned accordingly as if the shift had caused him pain, which it probably did considering the condition of his stomach right now. Tony walked across the hall to MJ’s room, Peter clinging to him like a koala.

Once in the bathroom, Tony set Peter down on the toilet seat. “You guys gonna be okay?”

MJ nodded and walked over to steady her boyfriend from falling. 

“Right. I’m going to go make us breakfast and change his sheets,” Tony said, pressing one last quick kiss to the top of Peter’s head and a longer one to MJ’s forehead. The girl froze for just a millisecond before a small smile spread onto her face. With that, Tony left the couple alone.

MJ helped Peter take off his clothes and eased him into the large bath. She was going to try to avoid getting her clothes wet, but that failed pretty quick once Peter had latched onto her. She stepped into the water with him, soaking her shirt and pajama pants.

“Can you let go of me for a sec, babe?” She asked him with a small laugh as he clutched her shirt tightly. His response? Whining like a child, of course. She huffed out another laugh and gently pried his fingers off her. Quickly, as to not make her boy more upset, she tore off her own clothes and put them on the floor next to the bath. She sunk down fully in the lukewarm water, allowing her boyfriend to float next to her and wrap his arms around her neck.

“You feeling better?” She asked. 

“A little,” he responded as he nuzzled her collarbone. "Stomach's still cramping. Still really hot."

She cooed at him softly before placing a feather light kiss against his brow. He hummed happily and shifted so he was somewhat sitting on her lap, head resting on her shoulder and hands wrapped around her back, under her arms. They sat there in peace, well as peaceful as things could get when Peter was feeling like shit. Peter seemed half-asleep against her and honestly she didn’t blame him, being sick was fucking tiring. She reached over his shoulder to grab the bottle of shampoo. 

She poured some on her hands and started massaging it into her boyfriend’s hair. His breath hitched, barely noticeable but definitely there, as his eyes fluttered close. She couldn't help but smirk. Her boyfriend lived off of affection of any kind and, frankly, so did she. Not that she would _ever_ tell anyone that (most already knew, much to her displeasure).

She continued, scratching his scalp in a firm way that always managed to make him drowsy. She took her time, wanting for him to feel good after feeling icky all night. She ran her shampoo-covered fingers from the base of his neck up his head. The motion was repeated all around his head until MJ was satisfied. 

Next she grabbed the cup sitting next to her bath and scooped water to gently wash out Peter’s hair. She shook his hair out, always making sure to cover his eyes. His hair had definitely gotten more curly since the beginning of their relationship. She loved it. Hell, everyone loved it. Thank god they had convinced him to stop using that awful gel and instead showed him the wonders of curly cream.

She peaked over at Peter’s face. He was breathing softly, eyes closed. Yep. He was definitely sleeping. The trust he displayed by letting himself fall asleep in water, knowing MJ would keep him safe, made her heart burst in happiness. She smiled fondly at the boy and kissed his temple before moving on to conditioner.

She kneaded his head softly until every inch of it was covered. Even after that, she continued to rub his head between her hands. She listened to his breathing, letting it calm and soothe her. It was okay. He was okay.

She let the conditioner soak in his hair as she moved on to the soap. She ran the soap bar smoothly all over his body. Starting at his shoulders and down his back. Every bit of skin lavished in soap. The soap bar ran up his stomach and chest carefully, aware that the pain could come back. She didn’t even bother trying to soap his legs, which were far too out of reach for her. She wrapped up by rubbing the soap onto his arms and grabbed the cup once more to get the conditioner out. She was careful and sensitive with his hair, watching the curls bounce up as she ran her fingers through them. And finally he was all clean but still sleeping soundly on her.

She brought her lips to the side of his face and neck, peppering kisses down until she felt his stir slightly.

“You fell asleep,” She said, pressing a kiss to his nose. He pulled back slightly and gave her a sleepy look, half-closed eyes and head slightly tilted down as if he wanted to rest it on something. It was fucking adorable in her opinion.

“Why don’t we go take a nap in my bed, huh? We could use a little more sleep,” MJ suggested as she got out of the bath and wrapped a towel around herself. Peter eagerly nodded and followed, grabbing his own towel as he got out.

“FRIDAY, Peter’s temperature please,” MJ called as they entered the bedroom.

“Peter’s current temperature is 99.1 degress Fahrenheit,” FRIDAY answered.

“Better than before,” Peter said with a shrug. MJ tossed him a pair of sweatpants and the duo changed quickly before curling up on the bed.

“How’s your stomach,” MJ whispered, her face an inch away from Peter’s.

“Good. Only some pain, but not as bad.”

MJ nodded and pressed a long kiss to Peter’ s lips. “Get some rest okay?” 

“You too, it’s not like you slept a lot last night either,” Peter pointed out, cuddling closer to her.

“Okay, Parker, whatever helps you sleep at night,” She said with fake exasperation. They were both quiet for a moment before Peter spoke up again.

“MJ?”

She hummed, eyes closed and ready to drift off.

“Thanks for taking care of me.”

She cracked an eye open, hoping her loving glaze would tell him everything he needed to know, and if it didn’t, well, a little peck to his forehead certainly did.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! I'm working on so many things, very excited to see what I share with y'all next! Till next time!!


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